Matthew Rains

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Political Science & International Affairs

Matthew is a PhD student in International Affairs. His areas of study are International Relations and Comparative Politics, with a focus on political violence and human rights.

Education

B.A., Western Carolina University, 2015, International Studies

B.S., Western Carolina University, 2015, Political Science

More About

Matthew Rains is a Ph.D student in International Relations. After growing up in Connecticut, he decided to move south for college. He attended Western Carolina University and received dual degrees; one in political science and one in international studies. After working for a few years, he decided to pursue an academic career and returned to school. When he’s not on campus, he can be found hiking, whitewater rafting, or catching a Charlotte Hornets game.

Research Interests

Matthew’s main areas of interest are political violence, human rights, and human rights measurement. He has spent his time at SPIA working on both the Sub-national Analysis of Repression Project, and the Human Rights Measurement Initiative. His current research focuses on the impact of trafficking, repression, and operationalization/measurement in the study of human rights.